Thursday, October 25, 2007

This is a very quick soup taught to me by my late grandpa when I was 9. In fact this is one of the earliest dish I 've ever cooked. Grandpa was the gourmet of the house and he taught my grandma and my mom how to cook. He passed away recently at the grand old age of 101. I still remember how he used to stand behind me in the kitchen and told me how to cook different dishes. Mustard Green is a very healthy veg, and has anti-cancer properties. The longer you boil mustard green, the sweeter the soup becomes. This is a kind of 'cheapo' soup, you get great tasting soup, and the fish balls and veg can be served as a separate dish.

Ingredients:Mustard Green (choose those without a lot of leaves, you can even just use the stems)1 big bulbFish balls (fresh or cooked)Fish cakes, slicedGinger, 3 slices

Methods:1. Wash Mustard Green thoroughly, cut into big pieces2. Soak fish balls and fish cake slices in water to remove some of the salt3. In a soup pot over medium-high heat, add a little oil, add 2 ginger slices and fish balls and fish cake slices. Stir fry for about 3 mins. Remove4. Fill soup pot with about 3L water, add mustard green chunks and remaining ginger slices, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 mins5. Add fried fish balls and fish cake slices, simmer for 5-10 more mins6. Scoop the mustard green and fish balls/cake out and serve as a separate dish

We are a mushroom and tofu family. We have tofu 4 times a week and we love mushrooms. This dish oozes with the earthy aromas of mushrooms. I usually take a bunch each of each kind of fresh mushroom from the supermarket's mushroom shelf.

Methods:1. Separate or slice mushroom in to thick slices (remember they release juices and shrink after cooking)2. Cut tofu into large cubes3. In the wok over medium-high heat, pour in oil and garlic. Fry garlic until fragrant.4. Put in mushrooms, stir fry quickly to avoid sticking.5. Add Chinese Wine, Stir thouroghly, add the other seasoning(soysauce, oyster sauce)6. When mushrooms juice start coming out, add tofu. Add a touch of water if necessary to cover 3/4 of all ingredients7. Cover and simmer in low-medium heat for 5-7 mins. Adjust taste with salt/sugar8. Sprinkle chopped parsley/celery/spring onion and mix well. Cover for 1 min more and serve!

Note:- Experiment with difference mixture of mushrooms, I even add in soaked dry fungi like 'Cloud Ear', 'Snow Ear' etc. They give a crunchy texture to the dish

I have craving for Tandoori Chicken the past few days, and by chance, I found packeted Tandoori Masala Powder in my local Indian grocery shop. So I marinated the chicken for a night, and Grilled the chicken in the oven.... The aroma coming out from the oven was Subliminal!!! We served it with rice and some Japanese style veggie curry... Soul food!!

Methods:1. Make deep score on the chicken breasts, and thighs so flavours would go deep inside the meat.2. mix the spice mix and salt with Yogurt, add red edible color if using to desired color.3. marinate chicken in spiced yogurt, making sure the whole chicken is covered with the paste.4. marinate chicken for 4 hours at least in the fridge or overnight.5. Preheat grill to 220 degrees6. Place chicken on grilling rack lined with foil, put under the grill for 20 mins.7. Turn chicken and grill for another 20mins, baste with remaining marinate8. Check that chicken is cooked through, Serve and enjoy!

Methods:1. Marinate Pork slices with marinate ingredients2. In a frying pan over medium heat, pour in 1.5 tsp oil, tip the pork slices in and stir fry to about 5 mins until they have just turned color, place in a plate3. Use just a little oil, stir fry the young ginger slices until fragrant. Add the pork slices back in. Season with oyster sauce, adjust taste with salt/sugar if necessary. Add in a touch of water, cover and simmer for 3-5 mins.4. remove from frying pan and serve.

Methods:1. Heat up 2 tbsp oil in a wok, put in garlic, fry till golden, place ginger slices and spring onion pices in the work and fry till slightly golden colored, fragrant.3. put in crispy pork and fry for about 1 min, season with sugar, light soy sauce, and chinese wine, stir and cover, cook for another 2 mins in medium low heat.4. Pour in sauce ingredients, except corn starch water, mix well, bring to the boil and add tofu. Cover and cook for 5 mins.5. mix the corn starch water well, add to the boiling sauce, cook still thickened to your liking. Add parsley and cover for 1 min.6. For specially sizzling effect, transfer to clay pot, cover and bring to a boil. Just before serving, pour 1 tsp chinese wine over the gap between the cover and the pot. Serve while sizzling.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Rosti is my family's favourite potato dish ranked just below my signature mashed potato. The crispy crust and creamy interior works great with a dab of sour cream on the side and served with roast chicken, roasted salmon fillets, or with grilled sausages and sauerkraut(fermented cabbage).

Ingredients:Russet Potatoes, 1kgsalt and pepper to tasteOil for frying

Method:1. Peel and wash potatoes, par boil them for 8mins. put it aside to cool2. Grate potatoes on a grater using the large holes3. Season grated potatoes bits with salt and pepper3. In a non-stick pan, pour generous amount of oil. Once oil is hot, pile grated potatoes on the pan, pack it down evenly and shape into nice rounds with a turner.4. fry gently for 10mins until nicely golden brown, using the turner, slide the rosti onto a plate, cover the rosti with another plate, and turn upside down. Slide the rosti with the cooked side up into the pan again.5. Continue to fry for 10mins until nicely golden brown.

This is an interesting and yummy soup. My mum first heard of it from her neighbour and many parents believe that the roots of peanut help grow taller. I honestly don't know if this is true, but my research on the web makes me want to this soup for my family.

Peanut root, according to research, is full of the anti-oxidant, Resveratrol, usually associated with red wine, which helps protects the heart and lower cholesterol, and helps prevent cancer. The finished soup is full of peanut fragrance and my daughter loves the soup.

Method:1. Place all ingredients in a soup pot, filled with 4l of water2. Bring to the boil for 30 mins, then boil over medium-low heat for 2 hrs.3. salt to taste

Note:- To wash Peanut Roots, stripe off the top leaves, only leaving those near the bottom. The leaves would give the soup a biter taste. I usually wash it in a bucket, shaking the roots in the water like whisking, to loosen the soil and dirt.- You can use Chicken instead of pork- To increase the sweetness of the soup, you can also add 1-2 honeyed dates or dried figs

The French paradox is the strange phenomenon that the French people follow a high-fat diet and smoke a lot, and still have a surprisingly low level of heart disease, one of the lowest rates of heart disease in Europe.

Red wine, which is consumed regularly in the French diet, is rich in antioxidants and has a high content of resveratrol, a plant compound, and other polyphenols, phytonutrients considered to stop the furring of arteries.

Scientists have found agents that combat both heart disease and cancer concentrating on the skin of grapes: this might explain why moderate intake of red wine seems to go with good health.

Peanuts, along with red wine and grapes, have been shown to contain resveratrol. Resveratrol acts as an antioxidant and can reduce the oxidation of bad cholesterol in the arteries.

Antioxidants like resveratrol and vitamin E, also found in peanuts, are believed to reduce the risk of cancer as well as heart disease.

An ounce of peanuts contains about the same amount of resveratrol as almost 2 pounds of grapes. So, a handful of peanuts washed down with a glass of red wine sounds like a good idea and of simple implementation.

San Francisco, April 20, -- Peanuts are another dietary source of heart-healthy resveratrol. Dr. Tim Sanders from the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Raleigh, North Carolina presented a lecture on this and other phytochemicals at the Experimental Biology annual meeting in San Francisco.

Resveratrol, which was found in edible peanut kernels, is a naturally occurring plant compound or phytochemical that protects plants from disease. Present in red wine and grapes, one ounce of peanuts contains approximately 73 micrograms of resveratrol. In comparison, almost 6 cups (or 2 pounds) of grapes contain about the same amount of resveratrol. Red wine contains approximately 160 micrograms per fluid ounce.

While it is not yet known exactly how resveratrol functions as a healthful factor, resveratrol's presence in red wine has been previously associated with reduced cardiovascular disease and it has been credited as a factor in the "French Paradox" (despite a high fat diet, the French have a surprisingly low rate of heart disease).

Results from various research studies have shown that resveratrol may protect against atherosclerosis by preventing the oxidation (or breakdown) of the LDL cholesterol in the blood. This oxidation of LDLs starts the deposition of cholesterol in the walls of arteriesleading to heart disease. Resveratrol may also prevent platelet accumulation in the arteries. This accumulation of platelets can form a clot which can cause a heart attack or stroke by getting stuck in the artery. If this occurs, blood flow is decreased to the heart or the brain.

More recently, research conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago using resveratrol extracted from grapes showed a reduced risk of cancer in animals by stopping the growth of damaged cells in the body. If these damaged calls were left untouched, they could grow out of control and cause cancer in the body. Resveratrol may work in a number of ways to stop this series of reactions within the body.

This finding on resveratrol in peanuts appears to support epidemiological studies from Loma Linda University, Harvard School of Public Health and University of Minnesota that show peanuts and nuts may reduce the risk of heart disease by more than half when eaten frequently in small amounts. There may be several factors in peanuts that contribute to this healthful effect. Peanuts are an excellent food source of vitamin E. They also provide approximately 2 grams of fiber per ounce, and have relatively high amounts of folic acid, thiamin, niacin, copper, manganese, phosphorous, magnesium, and zinc. They are high in plant protein and the fat content is primarily monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

The Peanut Institute is a non-profit organization which supports nutrition research and develops educational programs that encourage healthful lifestyles.

This is my favourite Cantonese dessert, the name literally means Ginger Milk Crush. You need full fat milk and freshly extracted ginger juice to appreciate the fragrance of ginger and the creaminess of the milk.

Ingredients:Full cream milk, 200mlGinger juice, 1.5 tspSugar, 1.5 tsp

Method:1. Gently heat up milk in low heat, add sugar to tastes2. Bring the milk to gentle simmer, but not boiling. Take the milk off the heat and cool a little3. In a bowl, spoon in ginger juice, and pour hot milk into the bowl,4. Let the bowl stand for 3-5 mins till the milk set into tau huay firmness.

Friday, August 24, 2007

This recipe was an accidental success. I made a large batch of prawn stock one day and after I have used some for Seafood Fried Noodles, I still have a quite a lot left.... It was a rainy day and I really feel like having some hot and spicy soup to perk myself up. Tom Yum Soup jumped into my mind.... The result was amazingly rich, spicy, sour soup thanks to the prawn stock...

5. Ladle into bowls, garnish with chopped parsley and 1-2 dashes of fish sauce on top of soup for extra flavour.

Note:- You can increase the richness by pour in a small packet of coconut cream towards the last 5 mins of cooking- You can use chicken, fish, other seafood instead of prawns- Kaffir Lime is limau purut in Malay

Sunday, August 12, 2007

This fried noddle uses the homemade prawn stock recipe. You can add different aromatic herbs, and meat in this recipe instead of seafood. I suggest you prepare all the ingredients, and fry the noddles by serving just like in food courts. The result would be noddles drenched in flavourful sauce. Leaving already fried noddles in the wok for too long, all the lovely sauce would be absorbed by the noddles and make the texture softer

Method:1. Heat a wok in medium-high heat, pour in oil when it's hot2. Pour in the sliced onion and chopped garlic. When fragrant, stir in bean sprout, jiu chai, baby bak choi, sliced fish cake. Stir fry for 3 mins.3. Add noddles to the wok, pour in prawn stock, add water if necessary to cover 3/4 of noodles. Cover and simmer for 7 mins.4. When most of the soup had been absorbed, adjust taste with salt pepper, sugar, and chinese wine. Add crab sticks, squid pieces, prawns to wok, make sure they are covered with noodles. Cover and simmer for another 3 mins.5. Lift the cover, stir occasionally so the soup is absorbed evenly. When the soup reduces to a thicker sauce, the noodle is done!6. You can garnish the noodle with a little thinly sliced egg omelet

Saturday, August 11, 2007

I love recycling ingredients which normally would be discarded. Whenever I buy prawns from the market, I usually shell the prawns for noodles or fried eggs. I always keep and recycle the discarded heads and shell of prawns to make prawn stock. I use this flavourful prawn stock as an ingredient in my Fried seafood noodle, or as a soup base for my Prawn Noodle Soup or Tom Yum Soup. It's simple and easy to make. The stock is orange in color and full of prawn flavour from the layer of red prawn eggs floating on the top of the stock

Method:1. Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat2. Pour in oil, fry chopped garlic and sliced onions as well as ginger slices3. When fragrant, put in heads and shell of prawns. Fry until slightly brown and fragrant. make sure to bash on the heads with a wooden turner to release all the flavours, splash in Chinese wine4. Pour in Water, bring to the boil. Season with fish sauce, sugar, salt and white pepper5. Simmer for 1.5 - 2 hrs until the flavour deepens6. Strain off stock and store/use for cooking

Saturday, August 4, 2007

I'd spent some time working in Cyprus, and one night I had this creamy dessert after a meal of Meze at a little restaurant sitting under ripe juicy hanging grapes, breathing air scented by wild lavender and jasmine. I felt like I was in ancient Cyprus at the dawn of civilization. I returned again and again to the restaurant just for this dessert. It is so simple to make, yet great tasting!

I am a Yogurt Fan, I also try out new yogurt brands in the market. However I always feel worried when the ingredient list in a small tub of yogurt looks like the it contains more chemicals than dairy produce. So I started making my own flavoured yogurt by mixing fresh fruits and plain yogurt. This recipe is refreshing and light, great for husbands who wants to impress their wives!

Ingredients:

Greek Style Yogurt, 400mlFresh Mango, 2Honey or Sugar for taste

Method:1. scoop out the mango flesh, trim around the stone to remove bits of flesh.2. In a blender, pour in yogurt, and the flesh around the stones, as well as flesh of 1 mango, blend until well mixed. Taste and sweeten with honey or sugar as desired.3. slice flesh of remaining mango lengthwise into stripes4. pour blended yogurt onto a soup plate, garnish with mango stripes fanned out.

Note:- Use other fruits for different flavours: Strawberries, Oranges, Peaches, Bananas- Greek Style Yogurt is thicker and creamier than normal yogurt

Friday, August 3, 2007

Vegetable is very easy to make, simply throw in some sweet tasting, aromatic vegetables and herbs and boil for 1-2 hrs until the taste infused in the broth. It can be used as stock base in soups and sauces. This picture shown has stalks of lemongrass in it as I was making lemongrass scented pumpkin soup. Usually I will put in a stalk of celery, a few bay leaves and a pinch of herb of provence for a proper vegetable stock and also whatever veg I could find in my fridge's veg section.

Method:1. roughly chop up the vegetables2. In a soup pot, add about 1.5 l of water, and vegetables3. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to simmer for 1-2 hrs.4. Lightly season the stock with salt and pepper

Notes:- Do not over season the stock, it is better to season the finished products you use the stock for- You can add chicken carcases to turn this into chicken stock

Method:1. Season bones and meat with 2 tsp of salt, marinate for 2-3 hrs or overnight2. wash rice in soup pot, fill to 3/4 full, add in soaked dried scallop and oyster also the soaking water3. wash the bones to remove excess salt, add to the soup pot. top up water to about 80% full4. bring to the boil for 30 mins, simmer in low heat for 1hr, till rice 'open' up and porridge thicken5. fish out the bones and stripe the meat off the bone, chop the meat and return to porridge6. chopped century egg and add to porridge or use as garnish

Note:- Soup bone has more meat and soft bone give more taste to the porridge- When porridge start to boil, place 2 chopsticks underneath the cover to prevent spilling.

This easy to make tomato sauce is healthy, and tasty. It is very versatile as a pasta sauce base, pizza sauce, or even as a soup base! I was motivated to make my own tomato sauce when I was horrified looking at the ingredients label on bottled pasta sauce.

This pancake recipe is so easy to make and my daughter Yasmin loves the orange scent. Babies would love to eat it plain. For adult, smear with butter, and drench them in real maple syrup or serve with our favourite Mark & Spencer jams.

2. Heat up a fry pan in medium heat, pour just a dash of oil in the pan, then wipe evenly with kitchen papper.

3. Pour 1 laddle of batter in the middle of the pan slowly, forming a circle. when the edge is dry and the center bubbly, flip over and fry for a little while longer (1 mins??) serve!

If you child is ok with oranges, you can grate some orange zest into the batter and substitute part of the milk with orange juice for instant orange pancakes. You can also mash bananas in the batter, add blueberries etc... experiment!

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

This is a roast chicken recipe that's always evolving. I always change the seasoning a little bit, as it really depends on the taste I am imagining at the time I am preparing. But it serves as a base to add or subtract. The results is always enjoyable, tasty, juicy roast chicken that is quick and easy to make. Great when friends come over for dinner, it leaves you plenty of time to mingle. I usually serve with my creamy mashed potatoes.

1. In a big bowl mix seasoning together2. Put chicken halves into the seasoning, coat evenly and put in the fridge to marinate for 2hrs.3. Preheat oven to 200ºc4. Line a roasting tin with foil, place the chicken halves on the rack skin side down so the oil can drip into the tin.5. Roast in oven for 20 mins, turn and roast for a further 20 mins, basting regularly with marinating juices to keep the chicken moist6. check that chicken is done by inserting a knife to the thickest part of the meat (the thigh, middle of the breast) to see the juice runs clear. If there's still blood in juice, roast for a further 5 mins and check again6. Turn to grill mode, set in max temp. and brush a little honey on the chicken. Grill for and extra 5 mins to achieve a golden brown color and crispy skin

This is a very easy to make recipe. The result is moist, juicy, tasty Char Siew. The fat of the pork collar is mostly burnt away, so it's not fatty. My wife said it taste even better than store bought Char Siew, and healthier as I don't put any coloring to get the red color. The 'burnt bits' is so tasty and chewy I feel like burning the whole piece of meat!!

4. Turn the meat over and grill for another 15-18 mins basting with the marinating juices

5. Mix 2 tbsp honey into the marinating juices and brush onto meat. Grill for another 5 mins each side till desired 'burnt bits' is achieved.6. Reserve the meat juices from the bottom of the tray, skim off the fat. If you have any remaining marinating juices, mix it in, heat up and used as dipping sauce

This soup is really good, and healthy. It is a family favourite and is also great if you entertain guests. It is really quick to do. You can make the soup ahead of time and when ready to serve, reheat slowly and drizzle in golden ribbon of egg in the soup.

1. In a soup saucepan, pour in cream style corn and corn kernels, add 1.5 - 2 cans of water, bring to the boil, simmer 10 mins. Salt and sugar to season2. If using smoked ham, mix into the soup in the last 5 mins3. If using deep fried fish maw, first soak in hot water to soften and remove the oil, then rinse in cold water, marinate with some ginger juice and chinese wine. cut into bit size pieces and add to the soup in the last 10 mins.4. stir the soup in 1 direction, slowly drizzle in the beaten egg for the egg ribbon effect.5. If the soup is too watery, mix 2tsp of corn starch with 4 tsp of cold water, add in soup and mix evenly

Note:

Some cream style corn are too sweet, I usually use Del Monte, Ice Cool. Do try and taste the difference. Adjust seasoning accordingly.

6. add water till chicken wings are 3/4 covered, and brown sugar block7. Cover the wok and cook for 10mins stirring occasionally, when the sauce start boiling, turn to medium-low heat and cook for another 15mins, adjust seasoning for taste, cover and cook for a further 10mins

8. If the sauce seems watery, plate the chicken wings, turn up the fire and reduce the sauce to thicken to desired consistency, return the wings to the sauce to coat evenly, plate and serve!

Note:- Do not over season when cooking, the sweetness and saltiness increase when the sauce thickens

- I prefer red beancurd sold in pottery container, the quality seems to be better

- brown sugar block is usually sold as a block containing a few stripes, the appear layered. It is much more flavourful than caster sugar.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

This wonderful Carrot Soup is scented with ginger, which enhances the carrot taste and making it light and wholesome. I made the vegetable stock used in this recipe by boiling celery stalks, leek tops, onions and garlic, carrot peels with some bay leaves. My daughter loves this soup so much that shecould finish a big bowl of the soup by herself!

3. When wolfberries are a little dried, pour in 2 tsp oil, stir fry wolfberries and ginger stripes lightly4. Pour in eggs and fry into omelet

A little on Wolfberries:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfberry

"Wolfberry is the common name for the fruit of two very closely related species: Lycium barbarum (Chinese: 宁夏枸杞; Pinyin: Níngxià gǒuqǐ)"

"Renowned in Asia as one of nature's most nutritionally dense foods, wolfberries have been used in traditional Chinese medicine over recorded history, some 2,000 years (Gross et al., 2006). Their undocumented legend, however, is considerably older, as wolfberries are often linked in Chinese lore to Shen Nung (Shennong), China's legendary First Emperor, mythical father of agriculture, and herbalist who lived circa 2,800 BC.

Since the early 21st century in the United States and other such industrialized countries, there has been a rapidly growing recognition of wolfberries for their nutrient richness and antioxidant[15]. Such rapid commercial development includes wolfberry among a novel category of functional foods called "superfruits"[16][17]." qualities, with 54 new product introductions worldwide during 2006